Bin cap



April 9, 1968 c. J. MAURER ETAL 3,376,685

BIN CAP 2 Sheefls-Sheet 1.

Filed March 21, 1966 INVENTORS CHARLESJ. MAURER BY ROBERT s. MONTGOMERY 42, 4AM, ala/M ATTORNEYS April 9, 1968 c. J. MAURER ETAL ,5

BIN CAP Filed March 21, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet P.

INVENTORS CHARLES J. MAURER BY ROBERT S. MONTGOMERY 4W7, JgMW ATTORNEYS United States Patent 0 3,376,685 BIN AP Charles J. Maurer, Bay Village, and Robert S. Montgomery, Parma, Ohio, assignors to American Handling Equipment Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Michigan Filed Mar. 21, 1966, Ser. No. 535,833 5 Claims. (Cl. 52-656) ABSTRACT OF THE BISCLOSURE A frame is disclosed for mounting on top of an elongated rectangular storage bin unit such that another rectangular storage bin unit may be mounted thereon and held in register therewith with a catwalk adjacent the top of the lower bin unit and the bottom of the upper bin unit mounted thereon for access to the upper unit. The frame defines a rectangle slightly longer and slightly wider than the units and includes side members having aligned ends. The side members have coplanar top plane surfaces for receiving one side of catwalk members and intermediate support means which interconnects the side members for engaging the top of the lower bin unit and holding the frame in a stable nested relation with said top. The intermediate support means have coplanar top surface portions and coplanar bottom surface portions within the space defined by the upper and lower extremities of the side members.

This invention concerns a frame for mounting on top of an elongated rectangular storage bin unit to hold one side of a catwalk member adjacent the unit top.

The terms bin and bin unit are intended to be broadly construed to include plain shelving, or shelving r pigeon-holed with storage compartments or drawers which are segregated by dividers or otherwise conveniently arranged to produce a controlled inventory volume which is self-contained in a rectangular storage unit. The rectangular storage units referred to preferably are made of metal but may be of wood or other suitable materials.

In the broadest sense, the invention concerns a' frame for mounting on top of an elongated rectangular storage bin unit such that another rectangular storage bin unit may be mounted thereon and held in register therewith with a catwalk member adjacent the top of the lower bin unit and the bottom of the upper bin unit mounted thereon for access to the upper unit.

The invention claimed is a frame generally comprised of parallel horizontal sides having intermediate bars for engagement with the top of the lower bin unit. Each of the intermediate bars has a top and bottom surface portion within the space defined by the upper and lower edges of the horizontal sides. The intermediate bars connect the sides and maintain them a distance from each other which is slightly greater than the width of the storage bin unit. The sides have projections which extend outwardly therefrom in a common horizontal plane to receive one side of a catwalk member. When the bin units are aligned in parallel rows with aisles therebetween, they are spaced by a regular distance from each other. Each rectangular lower bin unit comprises a multiplicity of bins, which rest on the floor or other suitable base. The elongated rectangular storage frame or bin unit tops are mounted on the lower units and are slightly greater in length than the bin units so that they may fit down over the top of the lower rectangular units. The projections which extend outwardly from the sides in a common horizontal plane define ledges upon which may be placed catwalk members which may be of grating material such as of metal or other suitable material.

Steel or aluminum grating material has been found most 3,376,685 Patented Apr. 9, 1968 desirable for the catwalks because it permits light and air to pass freely through. In addition, because of the multiplicity of holes in the material it is substantially lighter in weight and easier to handle during assembly and disassembly. Solid catwalk material can be used if desired, however, with some sacrifice of light, ventilation, and ease of handling.

The rectangular frames or lower level bin unit caps, in effect, define receptacles which fit over the bin units and also define receptacles into which the upper tier of bin units will fit in a manner which will prevent their shifting relative to the lower or supporting bin units. The catwalks, of course, in their lateral dimension span the aisles from one set of lateral projections of one bin unit cap to the lateral projections of the bin unit caps of bin units adjacent thereto and extend along the length of the units. At the ends of the bin unit caps are members which have projections extending outwardly therefrom to provide transverse catwalks for connecting the catwalks of the various parallel aisles.

The transverse or end catwalks or the longer parallel side catwalks may be mounted for support on one side thereof by suitable projections mounted to extend laterally from an adjacent wall structure. Alternatively the end catwalks can be supported by a plurality of rectangular bin units suitably spaced in an adjacent column. Suitable stair or elevator means may be provided to permit access to the catwalks so that access is available to both the upper and lower rows and columns of bin units through the catwalk system or through the base aisles.

A principal advantage of the particular tiered bin unit or shelving arrangement of the present invention is that using suitable bin units and these prefabricated rectangular bin unit caps or frames, it is extremely easy to assemble a plurality of storage compartments or bin units in organized rows and columns in order that the maximum of cubic foot storage area may be utilized with a minimum of cost both in storage bin equipment and in square feet of building area. Building area for inventory storage purposes is extremely expensive and utilizing the present system of tiering bin units it has been found that it is extremely easy to provide as much as a half acre of storage area in 8,000 square feet of floor space.

Another advantage of the invention is that standard mass produced rectangular storage bin or shelving units may be utilized to accomplish full usage of the available storage volume, where previously it was only possible to utilize these units in areas with a fixed volume per square foot of floor area. This is true because in stacking or tiering the conventionally available bin units in any previous system, shifting between the tiers would occur which would render the inventory storage area unsafe for use because of the danger of the bin units toppling over. This will be particularly apparent when it is realized that the storage bin units of the prior art are made of formed sheet metal and fabricated together by welding, bolting, or otherwise fabricating and they are not made of inherently self-supporting massive frames but rely much upon the goods stored therein for their structural stability.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a safe multi-tiered inventory storage system utilizing standard rectangular bin or shelving units of the type readily available on the market with catwalks to provide access to the upper tiers. The physical arrangement of the system is extremely easy to assemble with a minimum of time and labor expense. This is accomplished, of course, with the resulting product of full access to all inventory storage areas by plant personnel with complete safety because of the rigidity and the stability provided by the rectangular frames in combination with the bin units.

With the foregoing advantages in mind, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved storage system and arrangement which in inexpensive and provides greater safety and utilization of floor area for inventory storage by use of readily available rectangular storage bins or shelving units.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a storage system which is capable of efficiently using a given building storage area and which requires a minimum of time and expense for setting up.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a multi-tiered storage system which utilizes basically commercially available storage units with novel bin unit caps or frames in a unique manner in a multi-tiered storage system with easy access and complete safety to personnel storing or retrieving articles therefrom.

Other and more specific objects of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description to follow.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a bin unit cap or frame constructed according to the principles of this invention.

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of a lower bin unit and an upper bin unit with a bin unit frame therebetween showing an end view of an end catwalk mounted between the cap and a structural wall of the building.

FIG. 3 is an end view of parallel bin units of FIG. 2 showing a catwalk mounted between the units for access to the second tier.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the bin unit and catwalk arrangements of FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrating the use of the bin unit frame to hold the catwalks for access to the upper tier.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an alternative embodiment of the bin unit cap or frame of FIGS. 1 to 4.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 t0 4 the numeral indicates generally the bin unit cap or frame constructed according to the principles of this invention. Frame 10 comprises a pair of parallel horizontal sides 12 and 14 which may be of single elongated structure or may be fabricated of extension members 12 and 14 welded together or otherwise secured by splicing members 15. Sides 12 and 14 may be angular members having projections 16 and 18 extending therefrom laterally at right angles. It will be seen that the sides 12 and 14 and the projections 16 and 18 could be fabricated from a variety of individual pieces or could be in the form of a single angle iron piece. The same, of course, is true for the extensions 12' and 14' in their corresponding laterally projecting flanges 16' and 18.

A plurality of intermediate bars 20 are provided, each having fiat top and bottom surface portions. The members 20 are of a thickness less than the height of the sides 12 and 14 such that there is an integral portion 22 of the sides 12. and 14 at each member 20 separating the upper edge of the sides 12 and 14 and the lower edge of the sides 12 and 14 from the members 20.

End members 24 and 26 are provided such that they extend above and below the members 20 the same distance that the sides 12 and 14 extend above and below the members 20. The end members 24 and 26 have end projections 28 and 30 which extend horizontally in the same plane but at right angles to the lateral side projections 16 and 18.

The entire structure of frame 10 is fabricated by welding or equivalent means. As will be seen in FIG. 2 a lower bin unit, generally designated by the numeral 32, has a 'plurality of horizontal shelving 34 and vertical sides and dividers 36 which compartmentalize the bin unit 32 into a plurality of various inventory storage areas. The bin unit 32 has a base 38 resting on the floor which is shown to be a flat surface but which could be the plurality of legs located, for instance, about the outer margin of the bottom 38 at each corner thereof and at each intersection af the dividers 36 with the base 38. In such a unit it would be readily seen that these legs would rest on the floor as 4 the base 38 of the illustrated bin unit does. The numeral 40 generally designates the upper bin unit of identical construction to that of the lower unit 32, including vertical compartment walls 36' and shelves 34.

The lower unit 32 is shown in position with respect to the structure of the building. Mounted on top of the unit 32 is a frame or cap 10, which has a length between ends 24 and 26 which is slightly greater than the length of the units 32 and 40 and a width between the sides 12 and 14 which is slightly greater than the width of the units 32 and 40. Because of this dimensional relationship, the frame 10 may be placed down over the top of the unit 32 such that the top of the unit 32 nests within a receptacle created by the spaces 22 between the lower edge of the sides 12 and 14 and the lower surface of the members 20. The lower surfaces of the members 20 rest directly on the top of the unit 32 and the frame 10 is restrained from any significant movement endwise or lateral by the sides 12 and 14 and the ends 24 and 26.

The unit 40 is positioned in register directly over the unit 32 and set down on the top surfaces of the members 20 of the frame 10, again, nesting between the sides 12 and 14 and the ends 24 and 26 such that the base of the unit 40 is held by the projection of the sides and ends upwardly around the unit 40 by the distance defined by the spaces 22. In the same manner, tiers may be successively added to the top unit 40 if it is so desired.

With the lower unit 32 and the upper unit 40 in position with the frame 10 therebetween to hold them rigidly in register, similar units 32 and 40' are lined up in parallel fashion with floor aisles 42 therebetween and end aisles 44 separating the ends of the bin units from a wall 46 or adjacent column of like tiered bin units. If as in FIG. 2 the side of the aisle 44 is defined by a wall such I as 46, an outwardly projecting ledge 48 is provided along the wall in some suitable manner in the same horizontal plane as the projections 28, 16, 18 and 30.

As shown in FIG. 2, the projection 48 is provided by means of an angle iron mounted by a bolt to the wall 46, but this is by way of illustration only and is not intended to be limiting. An end catwalk 50, as shown, is

supported by the end projection 30 and the projection 48 1 from the wall or its equivalent. The catwalk 50 spans the floor aisle 44 at a distance approximately the same as.

the height of the lower unit 32 and provides access from one row or column of upper tier bins 40 to another in the same manner that the aisle 44 serves for the ground floor.

As seen in FIGS. 3 and 4 successive bin units 30 and 32', for example, of like construction are provided with each having a bin unit cap or frame such as 10 and 10' nested on the top of the lower units with the upper tier bin units 40 and 40' nested into the receptacle defined by the frames 10 and 10 and the members 20 which are a part thereof. Properly spaced aisles 42 are provided between each of the tiered units, 32, 10, and 40 for example, and 32, 10, and 40', such that a catwalk 52 may be supported between the side frame 14 and 12 of adjacent bin caps and the side projections 18 and 16 in association therewith.

The catwalks 50 and 52 are of some suitable grating material preferably because of the circulation of air and the emission of light that they permit. It is also prefer able to use the grating material because it is of lighter weight than solid flooring material and accordingly is easier to handle during assembly. It is also possible, of

course, to use solid flooring material where for some rea son this is found desirable. Thus, it will be seen how an entire network of catwalks 50 and 52 can provide access to both sides and ends throughout a plurality of rows and columns of tiered bin units having lower bin units 32, etc., with bin unit caps or frames 10, 10', etc. and upper tier bin units 40, 40', etc. It will, of course, be obvious to i one skilled in the art that suitable metal stairways or ele-,

vators or other access means can be provided to get from one aisle or catwalk level to the next.

FIG. illustrates an additional embodiment of the device for use in the same manner as the embodiment described in connection with FIGURES 14. The numeral 110 generally designates the bin unit cap or frame of FIG. 5. The sides 112 and 114 have side projections 116 and 118 extending laterally from the top edges thereof for side catwalks, with end members 124 having their end projections 128 for end catwalks extending from the top edge thereof, but coplanar with the lateral projections 116 and 118. Intermediate transverse members 120 perform the function of the members 20 of the embodiment of FIGS. 1-4.

It will be noted that in this embodiment the members 120 are separated from the lateral projections by upper spaces 122 and from the lower edges of the sides 112 and 114 by lower spaces 122. These, in effect, define a receptacle for the nesting of the top of the lower bin unit 32 against the lower surfaces of the members 120 and the bottom surface or base of the upper bin unit 40 nest against the upper surfaces of the members 120 in the same manner, as in the previously described embodiment.

Accordingly, it will be seen that by means of the principles of the invention utilizing the bin unit frame or cap as described, an eflicient and inexpensive tiered storage arrangement can be provided with access to storage bins of a lower unit being through floor aisles and to the upper tiered units being by means of catwalks held by the horizontal projecting side 'and end members of the frames.

In assembly of the system, it is quite often possible to utilize a procedure whereby the lower tier of the bin units is placed in the desired arrangement and then, by means of a fork lift truck, the bin unit caps or frames are placed on each of the units. After this has been done, the exposed lateral and end projections provide the marginal support for the catwalks 50 and 52 to be laid between and spanned from the projections of one bin unit cap to the adjacent projections of the other bin unit caps. This, too, may be easily accomplished as, for instance, by means of a fork lift truck Working progressively back through the aisles. It is then possible to set the second tier in nested position on the upper surfaces of members 20 or 120 in register over the bin unit caps and lower tier bins until the completed arrangement is accomplished. It should be noted in this regard that many of the commercial bin units come disassembled, so that in proceeding as just described in setting up the system all of the first floor or lower tier bin units may be assembled and the grating set in place, and then a large safe work area is provided for assembling the second tier of bin units one at a time in their proper position over the lower units.

For ease of description the principles of the invention have been set forth in connection with but two illustrated embodiments. It is not our intention that the illustrated embodiments nor the terminology employed in describing them be limiting inasmuch as variations in these may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Rather, We desire to be restricted only by the scope of the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. A frame for mounting on top of an elongated rectangular storage bin unit to hold one side of a catwalk member adjacent to the unit top, comprising in combination;

means defining a rectangle slightly Wider and slightly longer than the unit top including side members having aligned ends;

coplanar top plane surface means on said side members for receiving one side of catwalk members for access to the space above said unit;

intermediate support means interconnecting said side members for engaging the top of the bin unit and holding the frame in a stable nested relation with said p;

said intermediate support means having coplanar top surface portions and coplanar bottom surface portions within the space defined by the upper and lower extremities of said side members.

2. The frame of claim 1 in which the means defining a rectangle includes end members attached to the aligned ends of said side members.

3. The frame of claim 2 in which the end members extend above said intermediate support means.

4. The frame of claim 2 in which the end members have projections extending outwardly therefrom.

5. The frame of claim 4 in which the sides and projections are angles which are defined in cross section by perpendicular flanges with one flange thereof extending vertically to define a side and one flange thereof extending horizontally to define a projection.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 890,986 6/1908 Jones 182-429 1,250,279 12/1917 Canfield l82-194 1,280,456 l0/l9l8 Harmon 182r194 2,489,054 11/1949 Sprolle 108-51 X 2,573,772 11/1951 Nysten 312257 X 2,630,261 3/1953 Nystrom 18293 2,676,703 4/1954 Charman 108-53 X 2,700,521 l/1955 Lapham 108-53 X 2,894,641 7/1959 Edwards 21 1134 DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner. P. C. KANNAN, Assistant Examiner. 

